The Dow Jones industrial average, which consists of just 30 blue-chip stocks, was higher almost entirely because of a big gain in Visa. Late Wednesday the payments processing company announced earnings that beat analysts’ expectations. The company also announced a big share buyback program.

The Dow rose 80 points, or 0.5 percent, to 17,055. The Nasdaq composite fell four points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,545.